Roof or floor construction



Nov. 27 1923.

H. E. MARKS ROOF OR FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed April 14 1922 FIGA.

I I I I IT mi e ' Wvg/vrai? FIE- '7- l Wl T/VESS E S u Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

UNITED srArl-:s

PATENT Fries.

ROOF OR FLOOR CONSTRUCTION. y

Applicationl led April 14, 1922'. Serial N'o. 552,489.

To aZZ whom t may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT E. MARKS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and aresident of Glen Osborne, Sewickley,`in the county of vAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roof or .Floor Constructions, of which the following is a specification.v

This invention relates to roof or floor constructions of the type in which cast slabs of cementitious material are supported on parallel spaced flanged bars or beams,and in which metal mesh reinforcement or its equivalent is embedded in the cementitious slabs. l

The object of the present invention is to increase the strengthfsuch roof or Hoor constructions by locking vtogether the reinforcing members at the contiguous ends of adjacent slabs to form a continuous reinforcement for-the entire length of a panel of slabs.

Generally stated, the invention consists in having the reinforcements of the slabs pro.

ject beyond their ends, and providing transverse metal members which interlock with such projecting portions and thus connect the reinforcement of adjacent slabs to form a continuous reinforcement.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a roof construction, partly broken away, showing one form of the invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1 ;l Fig. 3 shows one of the joints of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing in skeleton the joint of Fig. 3; Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are side views of three forms of interlocking members; Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the 'oint; and Fig. v9 is a skeleton plan view of the same. n

The drawings illustrate the invention applied to a roof construction, but it can be applied in an exactly similar way to a ioor construction. In the drawings l represents the main beams of the structure, which in the case of a roof will be the purlins. 2 are flanged bars supported on the main beams or purlins, and spaced in parallelism and at distances apart equal to the width of the cementitious slabs. These bars' are shown as T-bars having their legs extending upwardly and having laterally projecting iiangfes 4 at their bases. Any equivalent bars hat :ng lateral projecting flanges below their upper edges will answer the same purpose.

- 5 indicates the cementitious slabs. which will -be cast innow well known ways, of a width approximately equal to the distance between the flanged bars 2 and of any convenient or desired length. ported by the ars 2 by resting on the laterall projecting ianges 4 thereof.

These cementitious slabs have embedded therein a metal reinforcing fabric, which may be of any suitable construction but which is illustrated in thev drawing as an open metal mesh comp-rising longitudinal or strand ,wires or rods 6 and cross or stay wires or rods ,7, secured to the longitudinal wires or rods preferably by electrically welding the same thereto. The reinforcing fabric is of a length slightly greater than the length of the slabs so that the end por-v tions thereof project beyond the ends of the slabs, and with one ofthe cross or stay rods spaced a predetermined and suitable distance from the end ofthe slab. These ends of the metal reinforcing fabric will project beyond the ends of the slab to such distances that when the slabs are placed in position, as shown in Fig. 3, said projectingends will overlap. These projecting ends are locked together by a transverse bar or strip 8, provided with notches from one edge thereof spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the longitudinal members of the slab reinforcement, and into which notches the projecting ends of the said longitudinal members enter, with the transverse rod or wire 7 of the reinforcement lying beyond said interlocking bar or strip. That is to say, the transverse rod or wire 7 of the right hand slab in Fig. 3 lies on the left hand side of the interlocking bar or strip 8, while the transverse rod or wire 7 of the left hand slab lies at the right hand side of said interlocking bar or strip. Consequently the bar or strip 8 locks the reinforcement at contiguous ends of adjacent slabs to gether, so as to form a continuous reinforcement. The strength of this continuous reinforcement is determined by the strength of the welds of the said rods 7 to the longitudinal rods 6. To increase this strength the longitudinal rods may be allowed to pro- 'ect slightl beyond the end transverse rods i?, andl sai projecting ends bent at right angles tothe longitudinal. bars, as shown at 9, Fig. 3; or the ends bentat right angles They are supcan be used alone, that is, without the use of the 4transverse -wires or rods 7 at the joints.

A single set of notches in the bars 8 will accomodate both reinforcements, by having one lie above the other; or said notches may be of', sufficient width to allow the two longitudi al rods to lie side by side, as shown i Fig. 4;' or the notches may be of inverted T, or [L or like form, as shown in Figs. 5,6, and 7 or two sets of closely adjacent notches maybe provided in the bars 8, one set receiving the longitudinal rods of one slab and the other the longitudinal rods of the other slab.

The interlocking bars or "strips Smay be thin flat strips of. any kind; Preferably they! will be of T formas shown, so that their' lateral projecting flanges 10 form supports for the ends of the slabs. rlllhe ends of. these interlocking bars will rest upon the flanges 4 'of the spaced bars 2, and in order to obviate a filling member on the flanges of the latter when the flanges of the bars 8 are of material thickness, their bottomanges may be coped off at their ends, as shown at 12, so that the flanges of said bars 8 will be' in the same horizontal.

plane as the flanges of the bars 2.

Figs. 8 and 9 show a modification in which the ends of the longitudinal reinforcing rods 6al are deformed 4laterally of their axes to form enlargements 13, with which the notched bars 8 interlock. ln other respects thiswill be applied in the same way as in ltheform already described. Any other way of forming or providing the longitudinal reinforcing rods with laterally projecting portions with which the notched bars 8 will interlock, can be employed.

ln laying a' sloping roof, the slabs at the ridge of the roofwill be first placed in posltion and securedin place, and the slabs lower down will be successively placed in position and thus in a sense hung onto the upper slabs. ln this way all slack is taken up and the reinforcement is put in initial tension so that in the completed structure the reinforcement becomes effective as a tension member. In laying a flat roof or floor, the initial tension can be secured by securing one slab in position, then laying the next slab in place, interlocking the ends of the projecting reinforcing fabric, and then moving the last laid slab longitudinally until all slack is taken up.

After the slabs are properly positioned the'gaps between contiguous ends of adjacent slabs are filled with grouting, as shown at 14, entirely closin said gaps and em bedding the joint, an in e-'ect forming a v continuous cementitious slab.

rllhe slabs 5 are provided on their undersurfaoes with a nishing sheet of paper or like materd, in order to give a nished teresa@ surface to the lower face of the roof structure, and also do away with the necessity of dusting 0E the slabs to remove loose particles. readily provided by casting the slabs on sheets of paper or like material laid into the slab molds. rlhis feature, however, is not (claimed in 'this application, but is claimed in an application of even date herewith, Serial Number 552,490. A

The slabs 5 may be provided with cored out openings or passages between their top surface and the metal reinforcement therein, in order to reduce their weight. Such openings will preferably extend in the direction of the longitudinal or strand member 6 of the reinforcement, and are indicated by the dotted lines 16, Fig. 3. This feature is not claimed in `this application but is claimed in -tlie above identified i application' Serial Manifestly in lieu of the purlins vand structions may be used to support the slabs. Indeed, the slabs may be supported directly by the main beams of the roof orl floor structure, by spacing the main beams so as lparallel T-bars shown, various 'frame conl not to exceed the width or length of the The roof or floor construction described is simple, easy to erect, and gives maximum strength for the amount of material used. While the slabs are individually cast, the interlocking of the ends of the reinforcement of4 adjacent slabs provides a continuous reinforcement from end to end of the panel.

I claim:

1. A roof. or floor construction, comprisi/ng supporting bars, cementitious slabs resting onv said bars, metal reinforcing members embedded in said slabs and projecting `beyond the ends thereof, the extremities of the reinforcing members being bent 'laterally, the reinforcing members at contiguous ends of adjacent slabs overlapping, and` transverse metal members covering'the gap between adjacent slabs and having la port`on disposed directly within the space therebetween, said portion lying between the said bent extremities of adjacent slabs for interlocking the rojecting ends of the reinforcement and t ereby connecting the same to form a continuous reinforcement throughout the entire structure. Y

2. A roof or Hoor construction, comprising supporting bars, cementitous slabs resting on said bars, metal reinforcing members embedded in said slabs and projecting bey yond the ends thereof, the extremities of the reinforcing members being' bent laterally, the reinforcing members at contiguous ends lofadjacent slabs overlapping, transverse metal members which overlap the ends lof adjacent slabs covering the4 ap-therebe tween and havinga 'portion isposed drectly within the space between the slabs, said portion lying between the said bent extremities of adjacent slabs for interlocking the projecting ends of the reinforcement and thereby connecting the same to form a continuous reinforcement, and grouting filling the gaps between the contiguous en ds of said slabs and embedding said interlocking mem- 'berl y" 3. A roof or floor construction, comprising supporting bars, cementitious slabs resting on said bars, a metal reinforcin fabric embedded in said slabs and having longitudinal members 'projecting beyond the ends thereof, said projecting ends being provided with portions extending transversely to the axes of said longitudinal' members, and notched transverse members receiving said longitudinal reinforcing members and engaging the said transversely extending portions thereof, thereby connecting the longitudinal reinforcing members to form a continuous reinforcement.

4. A roof or floor construction comprising supporting bars, cementitious slabs resting on said bars, a metal reinforcin fabric embedded in said slabs and having longitudinal members projecting beyond the ends at opposite sides thereof, transverse members secured to said projecting ends of said longitudinal members, and notched strips receiving the projecting ends of said longitudinal members and engaging the transverse members of adjacent slabs to thereby connect the reinforcing fabric of said slabs and form a continuous reinforcement.

5. A roof or floor construction comprising supporting bars, cementitious slabs resting on said bars, a metal mesh reinforcing fabric composed of cross and longitudinal members embedded in said slabs and having portions disposed beyond the ends at opposite sides thereof, said portions including a cross member of said mesh, and notched strips extending transversely of the slabs and receiving the longitudinal members and engaging the cross members of the said portions of said fabric on contiguous ends of adjacent slabs, thereby connecting the individual reinforcements to form a continuou reinforcement.

6. A roof or floor construction comprising parallel bars having lateral anges, cementtious slabs resting on said flanges, metal reinforcing fabric composed of cross and longitudinal members embedded in said slabs and having portions disposed beyond the ends at opposite Sides thereof, ,transverse metal members provided with notches to interlock with the said ends of the said reinforcement at contiguous ends oftadjacent slabs, thereby connecting the reinforcement of said slabs to form a continuous reinforcement, said transverse metal members resting at their ends on the flanges of the parallel bars and provided with bottom flanges extending underneath the ends of saidslabs. i

7. A roof or oor construction comprising cementitious slabs, a metal reinforcing fabric embedded in said slabs and having longitudinal members projecting beyond the ends thereof, transverse members secured to the projecting ends of said longitudinal members, and means disposedv between and abutting the contiguous faces of said transverse members of adjacent slabs whereby" to connect the reinforcing fabric of lsaid slabs andy form a continuous reinforcement.,`

8. A roof o'r floor construction comprising cementitious slabs, a metal reinforcing fabric embedded in said slabs and having longitudinal members projecting beyond the ends thereof, transverse members secured to the projecting ends of said longitudinal members and spaced from the ends of the slabs, and means interposed between the contiguous faces Aof said transverse members of adjacent slabs whereby to connect the reinforcing fabric of said slabsand form a continuous reinforcement.

In testimony whereof, I sign my name.

HERBERT E. MARKS. Witness:

EDWIN O. JOHNS.

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